The complicated ethics of digital piracy

People have seen online piracy as a victimless crime for decades— which couldn’t be further from the truth

By Hannah Mercanti

A brightly lit TV with a variety of streaming services available to choose from. (Nicolas J. Leclercq/Unsplash)

Did you know that in 2022, 22.4 per cent of Canadians committed an indictable offense? It’s true— despite our reputation as toque-wearing, maple syrup-drinking sweethearts, nearly a quarter of us accessed online pirating services. 

Digital piracy refers to the illegal copying or distribution of copyrighted material via the Internet. Uploading movies and TV shows to sites like Fmovies or the now-dead Soap2Day, downloading your favourite song from Youtube to MP3, or posting a stolen PDF of a book to an online forum are all actions that could, realistically, get you arrested in Canada. 

People do claim to have their reasons, though. It cannot be ignored that a large chunk of people simply cannot afford to pay rising subscription rates- the cost of living is consistently increasing in Canada and if someone wanted to subscribe to Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime, Spotify and Audible, that would add up to a total of $49.91 a month. That’s a pretty significant chunk of money in today’s economy.

On the other hand, some believe that companies already have enough of our money; some do it to avoid giving money to companies whose business practices or ethics they don’t agree with; others are just trying to save as much money as they can. Some, though, just don’t think online content is worth their money and download pirated content for free based on principle.

Regardless of the reasons people present to validate their habits, there seems to be a consistent debate about the ethics of the practice online. 

It is quite literally a never-ending back-and-forth— if you search “pirating books” on TikTok, the first two videos are in direct opposition to each other. One is brightly captioned, “Why pirating books is OKAY!” while its counterpart reads, “Stop pirating books. It directly hurts and affects authors.” 

In Canada, anyone who commits piracy is, according to the criminal code, “guilty of an indictable offence and liable to imprisonment for life.” So why are there TikToks and Reddit boards about it? It seems that regardless of the fact that it is punished like other forms of stealing, lots of people online don’t see it that way.

Online pirating, as we know it, began in the ‘70s and ‘80s during the boom of technology and computers. Users figured out how to copy and paste and were suddenly able to share mass amounts of information with the click of a button. “That was radical, right?”, says Kavita Philip, an author and a professor of English at the University of British Columbia.

Pirating is unlike any other form of stealing, notes Philip. When someone pirates a book, that book doesn’t cease to exist- the publisher and the author have not actually lost it. “If I take your car, you don't have your car anymore,” says Philip, “but if I download the specs for your car, you still have your car and you can still drive it to work.” This was what led some members of the tech community in the ‘70s and ‘80s to argue that it was essentially a victimless crime since it appeared as though no person was actually being deprived of anything. 

This led to an anti-authoritarian, utopian attitude within pirating groups. According to Philip, many of the people in these communities felt that they should not have to pay for the privatization of information and that knowledge and information should be open and available to all. Community members felt that corporations had gone too far with copyright and IP (intellectual property) laws and felt vindicated in stealing content.

Take for example the case of Aaron Swartz, which Philip notes. Swartz liberated articles from JSTOR under the pretense that information should be available to all— he was subsequently arrested, and made a hero and martyr in the hacktivism and pirating community. “Again,” says Philip, “the utopian impulse behind the copying and sharing communities is that everybody should have access to that knowledge.” 

Part of the reason people are so readily willing to commit media piracy is because we assume that since there is so much media, we aren’t hurting anyone by taking it. “That’s actually not true,” says Brianna Wiens, an assistant professor of english language and literature at the University of Waterloo. “There's the assumption that consuming more might actually help an emerging artist or contribute to them getting more airtime," says Wiens. “Actually, pirating can be particularly devastating for emerging artists.” 

When content is downloaded or spread online through hidden files, the artist loses a significant amount of exposure, since there is no way to track who or how many people are interacting with their content. As well, Wiens notes that downloading shady files in an attempt to skirt a fee can potentially leave the user vulnerable to online attacks and malware.

The fact that we are deep into a cost-of-living crisis does not help. People have less money now, and when faced with the choice between paying your Netflix subscription or buying groceries, the decision is kind of already made for you.

But, that doesn’t mean the answer has to be piracy. Wiens points out that as much as we are in a cost-of-living crisis, we are also in a crisis of the arts. “They're not as valued as other kinds of technology forward or STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) forward disciplines are,” she says, noting that people may be less willing to pay for movies, music and TV because they see them as inherently worth less than other services.

They may also think companies already have enough money or have poor business ethics and believe they are doing something positive by sharing content and providing information to those who cannot afford it.

But, this argument, when de-constructed, doesn’t actually seem to hold up very well. Wiens points out that when people pirate content from the creative industries, the people doing the actual creative work are the first ones affected, not the ones at the top of the company. For example, if you pirate the latest Disney movie because you think the CEO is a terrible person, you won't actually be hurting the CEO- you’ll be hurting new, developing artists, filmmakers, and writers since they are typically the first to go when companies start to lose money.

“It means less work for developers, testers, sound engineers, filmmakers, actors, scriptwriters, you name it, whoever’s involved in that process. It means less money going to those folks,” says Wiens. The issue, she points out, is that companies are not a monopoly, and looking at them like one makes it harder to see how something like pirating affects individual people.

Though, this doesn’t negate the fact that information should be free and made readily available to us. For Wiens, the thing that is missing in these piracy circles is advocating for our public libraries. “They don't just lend out books. They also offer media and technology. For those who can't afford to pay for video streaming services, your library will. Your library wants to help you.” 

So, what can you do if you’re strapped for cash and want to consume media, but don’t want to hurt anybody or destroy your computer in the process? There are actually a couple of options.

As Wiens pointed out, the library is usually your best bet. The Toronto Public Library system offers movies, TV shows, audiobooks and ebooks for rental, all for free. But for readers who may not want to get up off the couch, there are a couple more courses of action.

Project Gutenberg and Internet Archive are two examples of free, online services with thousands of books uploaded for anyone to access. The only drawback with these two is that the majority of books are allowed to be uploaded because they have entered the public domain, so most novels available are quite old.

There is also the option to sign up for free trials, which most streaming services offer- though this option isn’t too sustainable, since they tend to last only a week or so.

So, maybe it isn’t the pirate's life for us. The anti-authoritarian, utopian view of the early pirates does hold some weight. Information is something that should be free and available to all, no matter your income status or ability. However, fighting fire with fire is not the best solution and only hurts the artists we love and aim to uplift. By working a little harder and reaching out to our community resources like libraries, we can assist in the continued funding of the arts and hope for accessible and safe consumption of media for all.

Community, Creativity and Representation: The Case for Fanfiction

Fanfiction picks up the slack where mainstream media lacks

By Hailey Ford

The most popular tags on Archive of Our Own. (Hailey Ford/CanCulture)

Ah, fanfiction. If you’ve ever logged on to Tumblr.com, you’ve likely come across a piece of fan-written content in your days—particularly if Superwholock was your vibe. Fanfiction often gets a bad rap, typically associated with amateurish content that displays the weirdest parts of the internet in all of its unholy glory. Viewed by outsiders as either content written by losers with no grammatical skills or the strangest smut that has ever been viewed by human eyes, it’s been difficult for fanfiction to wrestle its way into the limelight of mainstream literature. 

While weird smut and bad grammar are entirely present, fanfiction has become much more than that. It’s a place for writers and readers to come together and explore themes and ideas in new and exciting ways. Fanfiction is where writers of any level can explore their favourite characters and worlds while adding their unique touch. It may be based on existing media, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t add new depth to those beloved stories. 

Many popular books from recent years, such as The Love Hypothesis or The Mortal Instruments, started as fanfiction. Widespread headcanons have been widely adopted by fandom communities at large. It allows people to better see themselves in characters they love. And yet, it still gets a bad reputation, reduced by outsiders to only the worst parts of itself. To do so is like judging fine arts as a whole by the finger-painting of a kindergartener.

The importance of fanfiction in creating a sense of community, aiding creative development, and allowing for absentee representation shouldn’t be overlooked.

Julian Winters, author of novels Running With Lions, The Summer of Everything, and more, is one of many who found his start in fanfiction.  As a young reader, he struggled to find good books with well-written, queer characters. Characters like him. 

A 2013 survey found that around 43 per cent of fanfiction on Archive of Our Own (AO3) was explicitly tagged as featuring a relationship between two men, with only around 15 per cent tagged as having romance between a man and a woman. 

In contrast, in 2016, only 79 LGBTQ+ Young Adult Novels were released by mainstream publishers - and those publishers put out a lot of books. A 2022 report indicated that only 12 per cent of regular characters on television in the United States are LGBTQ+. 

These numbers are the highest they’ve ever been. 

Winters recalls that most books or pieces of media that featured queer characters had them living out terrible, traumatic, and depressing lives, up until the point in the story where they inevitably died. For him, fanfiction provided a remedy to that. 

“I wanted to tell those stories where I actually get to make it to the end,” Winters said. “We deserve better than just to be killed off halfway through a book.” 

Winters also believes there are advantages that fanfiction writing has over traditional publishing - and some lessons he hopes can be learned from the successes of fanfiction. 

“You get to just go wherever you want with [fanfiction] and the reader will follow you because you're telling such a great story,” Winters said.  “We have this formula we follow [in novels] to get from point A to point B. Sometimes I would just like to spend a lot more time in worlds getting to know characters.” 

He specifically points to simple stories, where characters just go about their day-to-day lives. 

“Especially for me, as a person of colour, as a queer person. It'd be nice just to see people that identify like me or that look like me just living normal lives,” he said. “One of the great things about fanfiction writing is so much about it is kind of scratching that itch.” 

Winters is not alone in his views, either on representation in mainstream literature (or a lack thereof) or on what’s missing from traditional media. 

“[Fanfiction] fills in the gaps where canon doesn't go,” said Jaye Roy, a linguistics student at the University of Toronto, who's also a fanfiction reader and writer. “I think that's very valuable, especially when it comes to issues or representation that people might not see in mainstream media.”

Roy added that representation in fanfiction is not always done perfectly.  Sometimes, despite their best intentions, amateur writers lean too far into stereotypes. Despite that, Roy feels that representation is one of the foundations of fanfiction. 

“A bunch of people seeing the potential for gay and adding in the gay themselves,” Roy said. “Adding queer representation where there is none.” 

Research indicates that positive and present representation of queer individuals can help reduce stigma and prejudice against the LGBTQ+ community. 

While traditional media is still lacking here, fanfiction allows people to better find that representation in the characters they love. For many, fanfiction isn’t just about filling in holes left empty by mainstream media. It’s also about the people you meet and the shared love of a particular piece of media. 

 “For me, the importance of fanfiction was very intertwined with community,” Roy said. “It's essentially another way of the fandom coming together and congregating over something they love, or love to hate.” 

For the president of the University of Toronto Fanfiction Club, Zain Butt, that sense of community is one of the driving forces of his love for fanfiction and one of his motivators in starting the club. “We're focused on this whole idea of coming together to just give our thoughts,” Butt said. “It's about exploring these scenarios and relationships that are hinted at.” 

He added that before recently, it was often incredibly difficult to find direct queer representation. He believes fanfiction allows people to explore implied relationships or ones that viewers, readers, or watchers were drawn to. After all, even back in 1968, fans were writing Kirk/Spock fanfiction. 

Butt said he appreciates the openness of fanfiction is, and how accessible it can be to new writers.

 “[Writing] is one of those arts that's harder to get into when you're younger,” he said, stating he finds the main option available to new writers is either poetry or short stories. “If you want to do longer narrative fiction, then fanfiction is the preeminent form nowadays.” 

For those with a passion for writing, courses can be expensive. For many, fanfiction is an opportunity to learn by doing and sharpen their storytelling skills. It also comes with a built-in fanbase bursting with people who are happy to jump in and give their thoughts. 

Plus, it’s free. AO3, Wattpad, Fanfic.net, Tumblr, whatever your site of choice - posting costs nothing but your time, energy, and occasionally your sanity. In sharp contrast, self-publishing through traditional methods could take a sizable chunk out of your bank account. If you’re a broke college student, that’s likely not in the cards for you. 

So if you’re just looking to get your work out into the world, put down your pen, pick up your laptop, and log onto AO3. Fanfiction might just be what’s right for you.

Saeed Teebi's 'Her First Palestinian' Explores Tales of Loss, Belonging and the Palestinian Perspective

His debut collection weaves a Palestinian perspective into the narrative, offering a nuanced portrayal of characters navigating the challenging terrain of dual identities.

By Nageen Riaz

Her First Palestinian earned finalist honors in the 2022 Atwood Gibson Writers's Trust Fiction Prize and secured a spot on the shortlist for the 2021 CBC Short Story Prize (Caelan Monkman/CanCulture)

Canadian immigrants and those who have experienced displacement are intimately familiar with the feelings of loss, betrayal and helplessness. For some, the struggle to feel at home between two worlds can prove to be a difficult battle, and becomes one which feels more like a purging of their old life rather than a journey to build a new one.

Over the course of his career, Toronto-based lawyer and writer Saeed Teebi has become all too familiar with these emotions. His debut short story collection, Her First Palestinian, offers readers a Palestinian-Canadian perspective for understanding the complex feelings of anxiety, pain and guilt that come with witnessing injustice in your homeland from an ocean away.

The nine stories within the pages of Her First Palestinian candidly portray the historical reality of Israeli violence, but refuse to succumb to a narrative dominated entirely by victimhood or a sense of suffering. Instead, characters are presented as doctors, professors and lawyers who live ‘full’ lives with their families and loved ones. Teebi ensures his characters do not conform to the stereotypes associated with being Palestinian and allows his stories to showcase the complex personalities that go beyond just a nationality. Characters are self-aware of their careful decision not to appear too loud, expressive or angry, as these emotions may automatically label them as the “typical Arab.” Instead, readers are invited to witness the inner workings of these characters as they recognize their own desperate helplessness through the direct and confessional first-person narration.

Still, Teebi does not turn a blind eye to the invisible string that attaches each person to their homeland. Each of the characters, who are Palestinians living in Canada, experience remorse and fear in their day-to-day lives in a variety of ways as they attempt to navigate a hostile world, often at the expense of their beliefs and duty to their Palestinian community. Moreover, by referencing recent world affairs, with some plots touching on the impact of COVID-19 and the Black Lives Matter movement, Teebi creates a sense of homogenous relatability, regardless of the reader's personal proximity to the Palestinian resistance.

Her First Palestinian brilliantly reflects the Palestinian community within Canada, commenting on every emotion, action — or lack thereof — and every heartwarming interaction that truly defines its people. With each story comes new characters, new problems, new twists and new emotions, making Her First Palestinian impossible to put down. Coming in at just over 200 pages, the book keeps readers on the edge of their seats as they try to keep up with the frustrations, happiness and heartbreak that washes over them with each narrative.

In the wide world of Canadian literature, Her First Palestinian stands as a complex, intricately crafted piece of fiction — explorative, confident and struck by the harsh realities of immigrant life: A father who refuses to carry the burden of his people, a lonely college student desperate to impress his roommates, a grandfather on the hunt for his lost love, a professor realizing his identity strips him of his rights, an entrepreneur that does the unthinkable for the sake of his family. Teebi beautifully blends the line between the desire to start a new life elsewhere and finding comfort in belonging to a place where resistance and hope will always persevere.

Her First Palestinian was a finalist for the 2022 Atwood Gibson Writers’s Trust Fiction Prize and shortlisted for the 2021 CBC Short Story Prize. The book is making waves in literary circles and offers a voice for the stories that often go unheard and unrepresented. Journalists adhering to CBC’s recent language guide are not permitted to refer to Palestine as a country or show a map of Palestine, but, through Teebi’s narratives of Palestinians trying to exist in a world that seems to work against them, the landscape of Canadian literature shifts to dismantle these barriers, guard towers and checkpoints. 

Readers can find a copy of Her First Palestinian at most libraries, including the Toronto Public Library and the Toronto Metropolitan University campus library. The book is also available for purchase on the House of Anansi Press website, the publication house that first released the collection in 2022.

Palestinian protesters removed from Scotiabank Giller Prize Ceremony

Palestinian protesters decide to make a stand as Canada continues to ignore the genocide in Gaza.

By Hannah Mercanti

A multicoloured graphic displaying the amounts of money Canada’s banks have invested in Israeli arms manufacturers. (@michaeldeforgecomics/Instagram)

It's a still November evening at the 2023 Scotiabank Giller Prize. Authors, readers, and Canadian visionaries stream into the glamorous Four Seasons Hotel in Yorkville in downtown Toronto, sheathed in an array of fine fabrics and colours like a brigade of fancy parrots flying south for the winter.

Inside, the stage is wide and expansive, and behind it, the Giller Prize Logo floats on a Scotiabank-red tinted screen. As attendees file in and take their seats, Canada’s most prestigious literary gala and awards event begins.

Rick Mercer is hosting, and as he walks across the stage, two unidentified audience members take to the stage with signs that simply read, “SCOTIABANK FUNDS GENOCIDE.”

As they clambered to the front of the stage and hauled themselves up, another member of the audience began to shout, “Scotiabank currently has a 500-million dollar stake in Elbit systems.” 

Elbit Systems — an Israel-based arms manufacturer and defence contractor — is the country’s largest private arms company. According to The Database of Israeli Military and Security Export, Elbit manufactures about 85 per cent of the Israeli military’s land-based equipment and drones. Additionally, Elbit Systems is “one of the main providers” of the electronic detection fence system for the Israeli West Bank barrier, a border wall which is illegal under international law.

In 2022, BNN Bloomberg reported that Scotiabank’s asset management arm held a 5 per cent  share of Elbit Systems (US$440 million), making the bank “the largest foreign shareholder in a publicly traded Israeli defence contractor.” Despite public outcry and other financial groups pulling their investments from the defence contractor in recent years, Scotiabank has maintained its investment in the Israeli company.

The protest group was quickly escorted out by police and later arrested, said Giller spokesperson Robyn Mogil, according to the Globe and Mail.

The event was interrupted for a second time as Canadiana author Sarah Bernstein was being announced as the winner for her novel Study for Obedience. This time, a protester disguised as a photographer began shouting at the stage before being walked out by authorities and arrested.

Canadian writers have since expressed their shock and anger at the arrest of the protestors. To show their support for the protestors and for Palestine at large, a group of Canadian authors have written an open letter to the Canadian government to drop the charges against the protestors.

Farzana Doctor is one of the many authors involved in the creation of this letter.

“The morning after the Scotiabank Giller Gala, a few authors came together to talk about our reactions to the protest at the ceremony,” wrote Doctor in an email to CanCulture. “We were troubled that protesters were forcibly removed, reportedly held for three hours, and charged. 

During the gala, “protesters were booed by the audience and forcibly removed, and after the event ended, they were reportedly detained by police for three hours, and are now facing charges,” reads the open letter.

According to an article from CTV, the protestors were charged with obstructing, interrupting, and/or interfering with the lawful use, enjoyment or operation of property and use of a forged document. “These are serious charges,” says Doctor. She says the point of the letter is to ask for the charges against the protestors to be dropped, and an opportunity for authors to show their support for Palestine and call for a ceasefire.

“We ask all of our literary institutions to be loud where our governments and news outlets have been silent,” reads the letter. The letter details Israel’s attacks and ongoing assault on Palestine, and urges our government to say something and call for a ceasefire.

In the days after the protest, Elena Rabinovich, executive director of the Giller Prize, made a statement in which she described the protests as, “disrespect to Canadian authors, and their literary achievements that were made throughout the year.”

Doctor says it was important for all those who signed and took part in the creation to express that “we do not feel it was disrespectful.” As of their last count, she reported over 2200 signatures for the Canadian Literature commuting, including Sarah Bernstein, this year's winner of the Giller Prize, and winners from past years.

Though the Google Form is now closed, Canadian writers and editors who would like to support are encouraged by Doctor to do so, and can sign by emailing @authorsrespond@gmail.com.

Doctor urges readers and writers to sign petitions before the Canadian government, call their representatives, attend protests, and share awareness on social media. 

“There is significant silence on the topic both on the part of our representatives and the media,” she says. “We all have a role in interrupting that silence.”

The journey to find Toronto’s best discount bookstore

We toured four local bookstores with bargain prices to find the very best options for readers on a budget

By: Lama Alshami

The first bookstore CanCulture toured, ABC Books, near Wellesley Station. (Lama Alshami/CanCulture)

It’s no secret that in Toronto and other major cities across Canada, money can be tight for university students. Rent, food and transportation take priority, so spending on our hobbies is relegated to the back burner.

Inflation has even further exacerbated this issue. With many Torontonians barely being able to cover groceries, book prices are just too high to justify. Fortunately, Toronto is filled with discount bookstores that recognize the need for inexpensive and accessible books. 

In hopes of finding a replacement for the retail giants, CanCulture contributor Lama Alshami visited four Toronto bookstores and ranked them based on their prices, selection of books and proximity to the Toronto Metropolitan University's campus. The following bookstores are sure to help you cut costs and enhance your personal library. 

ABC Books

By Yonge and Wellesley Streets, this bookstore can be easily identified by two bright, colourful murals on either side of the doors. A four-minute subway ride from Dundas Station and a quick five-minute walk will take you right to the storefront.

Immediately, you will notice the bright red cart of marked-down books positioned directly outside the entrance, with prices ranging from $2.99 down to as low as 50 cents. Inside the shop, the average price of books is five dollars, with a discount of more than 70 per cent off the original selling price on the majority of books.

The exterior of ABC Books, with its red carts, at the storefront on 662 Yonge St, Toronto. (Lama Alshami/CanCulture)

The store houses many young adult novels and new releases, as well as a large number of textbooks, dictionaries, classics and even TV shows on DVD like a full set of Gilmore Girls.

The philosophy section inside ABC Books. (Lama Alshami/CanCulture)

One thing to note about this shop is that the books are not organized by the author’s last name, so you may need help from staff to navigate the store and find what you’re looking for.

We found that ABC Books had the cheapest prices out of all the bookstores toured, as well as the most comprehensive availability. Although not the closest option, it is only 10 minutes from Dundas Station, making its location accessible tofor TMU students.

BMV

A massive sign with the letters ‘BMV’ in bright red and a row of glowing neon signs dominating the vast storefront will let you know that you are in the right place.

The bright red BMV sign displayed outside the store at one of its three locations on 10 Edward St, Toronto. (Lama Alshami/CanCulture)

“Read more. Spend less,” is BMV’s slogan, which they definitely hold true to. While they started by selling secondhand books, they now also sell new books at a discounted cost, though their secondhand books are significantly cheaper.

From political science to young adult fiction, BMV has an expansive selection of different genres, including many nonfiction titles. Magazines, textbooks, vinyl records and CDs are just another example of what this large store offers shoppers. For those interested in graphic novels and comic books, BMV’s Bloor Street location is the place to go.

The entrance to BMV on Edward Street with newly released books on display on the front tables. (Lama Alshami/CanCulture)

BMV has three locations scattered across Toronto, with the Edward Street location just a two-minute walk from the Sheldon and Tracy Levy Student Learning Centre. While the BMV has a wide range of books and well-organized shelves, its prices are slightly more expensive than ABC Books, situating it in second place.

She Said Boom

Outside of She Said Boom at its second location on 378 College St, Toronto. (Lama Alshami/CanCulture)

Named after the song “She Said Boom” by Toronto band Fifth Column, this bookstore specializes in both music and literature. The store is on the smaller side, with a quaint vibe that instantly welcomes you in. Although the store has a small selection of new releases, it focuses on buying and selling used books, ranging from crime to classics. While the store is not the most affordable, most books are at least half their original sale price.

Given that the store was named after a song, they also offer a large array of both new and used vinyl in many different genres, most by Canadian artists.

A collection of various genres of vinyl records in front of the literature section at She Said Boom. (Lama Alshami/CanCulture)

A 10-minute ride from the TMU campus on the College Street streetcar will drop you off directly in front of this charming bookstore on Borden and College. Since this shop is significantly smaller and not quite as affordable as BMV or ABC Books, it comes in third place.

Causa Culture

The stairs up to Causa Culture’s front door at 13 Kensington Ave, Toronto. (Lama Alshami/CanCulture)

Concealed behind tables of handmade jewellery, it can be easy to miss this hidden gem located in Kensington Market. You will be taking many twists and turns through the market to get here, and once you enter, you will be greeted not by books but by crystals, jewels and fossils.

The entrance to Causa Culture, filled with crystals, stones and jewellery. (Lama Alshami/CanCulture)

Further in, you will be met with seemingly endless stacks of books squeezed into the small rooms of the house-turned-bookstore. There are virtually no labels or organizational systems within the shop, and shoppers can almost end up lost in the unconventional layout. Though, what it lacks in organization, it makes up for in pricing, with most books having a 20-60 per cent discount off their original selling price.

Unorganized piles of books adorn the halls of Causa Culture. (Lama Alshami/CanCulture)

We do not suggest coming here with a specific book in mind, since it may be quite a struggle to pick a specific title out of the piles of books. Rather, just let yourself go with the flow and have a good time browsing.

Reading doesn’t have to be an expensive hobby. With these four bookstores, you can satisfy your desire to read without hurting your wallet. Each of these stores offer a wide selection of books at discounted prices, all in unique cultural hubs across Toronto.

Books to read to radicalize yourself

Ready to start your literary journey into social change and politics? Look no further.

By: Sharon Arulnesan

CanCulture brings you a list of 7 books to read if you want to radicalize yourself and learn a bit more about other people’s experiences (Caelan Monkman/CanCulture).

Books have always been a way for people to kick back and slip into a relaxing fantasy world, but literature can be used for much more than just chilling after a long day. It can also be an informative tool for developing our knowledge about our world. 

The phrase “radicalize” has become popular with the emergence of people speaking out about social injustices and questioning the current politics that perpetuate the status quo. 

These books are great starting points for anyone who wants to delve into the political genre without the fear of dense language and content. 

Feminism Is for Everybody: Passionate Politics by bell hooks 

Social critic and educator bell hooks writes engagingly, yet intelligently, for readers who are interested in developing their understanding of popular feminism — a branch of feminism focused on achieving gender equality through political reform. 

In her book, hooks stresses the importance of community and solidarity in achieving gender equality and applies these ideas to issues women all around the world face, such as education, reproductive rights and gender-based violence. hooks’ casual tone makes readers feel as if they are having a sincere discussion with hooks herself. Buy it here.

The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander 

In this book, Michelle Alexander presents the fact that young Black men are overrepresented in the U.S. prison system and are being subject to disproportionate levels of discrimination, facing heightened socioeconomic disadvantages. 

Making connections to modern-day politics like the Barack Obama presidency, Alexander makes it digestible for readers to understand that although the United States has abolished Jim Crow laws, the racial caste system has clearly just been remodelled. Buy it here.

Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell 

In Cultish, Amanda Montell poses the starkly frightening question to readers: What makes cults so fascinating and alluring, yet so terrifying at the same time? 

Cultish explains the phenomenon of cults and why people join, stay, and are even willing to die for their extremist groups. The powerful usage of language, Montell argues, is intrinsic to the survival of cults and this efficacious language is something that has been transferred into politics without us even noticing. Buy it here.

Life in the City of Dirty Water: A Memoir of Healing by Clayton Thomas-Müller 

In Clayton Thomas-Müller’s uplifting memoir, he recounts his personal experiences growing up in Winnipeg in an Indigenous family who continues to suffer from the intergenerational trauma caused by Canada’s residential school system. 

A former drug and alcohol user, Thomas-Müller escaped his former life path by getting back in touch with his Cree background and embracing the ways of living associated with his heritage. Now a strong Indigenous activist who campaigns for Indigenous land rights all across Canada, Thomas-Müller has shown anyone can heal from a traumatic and abhorrent past. Having an understanding of the horrors Indigenous peoples faced — and continue to face — at the hands of the Canadian government is crucial in ensuring the government is held accountable and can work towards reconciliation. Buy it here.

America Is in the Heart by Carlos Bulosan 

Shifting to fiction books, America Is in the Heart describes a fictionalized version of Filipino writer Bulosan’s childhood in the Philippines, his journey to the United States and the racial discrimination he faced while working in California. 

Although the book is fictional, readers learn about the physical and verbal abuse migrant workers face at the hands of their employers and the false notion of the American Dream that many hope for when they leave their home country. Buy it here.

They Said This Would Be Fun by Eternity Martis 

Written by Canadian author and journalist Eternity Martis, she describes in her poignant memoir her experiences of being a Black student in a sea of predominantly white students during her undergraduate years at Western University. 

Over the course of the memoir, Martis reveals time and time again the prejudice she faced from her fellow students due to her race. Confronted with blackface at a Halloween party and being fetishized in her intimate relationships are just a few of the incidents that occurred during her time at Western. Now a professor at Toronto Metropolitan University, Martis’ story can help TMU students become aware of the diverse campus students are situated upon and the need to promote racial equity.  Buy it here.

The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin 

A radical book list would not be complete without the trailblazing James Baldwin. A prolific writer around the time of the civil rights movement in the United States, Baldwin gave a voice to the powerless and spoke out about racial injustices. 

The Fire Next Time confronts the consequences of racism and emphasizes that moving forward as a society must be accomplished in solidarity. Baldwin implores for the United States to adopt radical changes to disintegrate racial division. Buy it here.

Although bringing about social change is often a lengthy and tough process, it is crucial to build a more equitable society. Understanding the politics present in our lives is just the first step in this process.

Check out these reads at your local library or bookstore, such as Glad Day Bookshop. With these books, you will be well on your way to becoming a more radicalized and politically informed member of society. 

Loving and Living Anew: Humble the Poet’s 'How to be Love(d)'

Canadian poet, rapper and spoken word artist Humble the Poet writes on the plurality and deep implications of love

By: Harleen Grewal

Humble the Poet’s How to be Love(d) was published at the end of 2022. (Harleen Grewal/CanCulture)

How to be Love(d) is about engulfing yourself within love, around love and “being love,” an act that Toronto artist and author Kanwer Singh, commonly known as Humble the Poet, described as the action of wholeheartedly immersing oneself in love. To love and be love, one has to unlearn past ideas of love that are commonly influenced by the media and culture.

Humble writes that love is the single source, when mastered, that harnesses unconditional love, but we often seek it from external sources rather than looking within ourselves. We busy ourselves with fulfilling the pressures set by others rather than meditating on what would bring us internal happiness.

Self-love isn’t selfish nor can it only be achieved through weekly self-care routines and techniques. The way I see it, self-care is a form of self-love that requires daily commitment and the practice of prioritizing yourself, learning about yourself and loving all versions of yourself, including past, present and future.

Humble explains the love you share is influenced by how actively you love yourself. In his book, he ties this to how a better understanding of love has evolved him and his relationships.

He works through his past experiences of love to enlighten us of his growth and how these changes could be applied to our lives. “To experience love, we have to let go,” he writes.

Letting go is the first step to allow love to resurface. By letting go of all that harvests us, in directions opposite to the consumption of love, we are better able to redefine what love is. We can redefine, reimagine and rework what love is and how it fits in our present.

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To reimagine past loves, past experiences of trauma and hurt require mending. Humble shares a story about reconnecting with his immigrant parents. In the past he prioritized his love language — words of affirmation — and expected love to be returned in the same way. Upon reflection, he began to understand that acts of service was how his parents shared their love and he developed a deeper appreciation for them, seeing them as people before parents.

The disconnection often felt between children and parents, where different ideologies are likely to clash as children begin to discover their selfhood and ways of being, could constitute this indifference. However, as adults we hold the power of revisiting these memories to heal the love we hold towards others and ourselves and formulate secure identities.

As the firstborn of immigrant parents, this reading allowed me to connect with my family through a new perspective on love. The disconnect between both generations could easily intensify and spiral into despair if neither party tries to understand the other. Children crave love and their ideas of love are often influenced by mainstream media and dominant western ideologies, which may not fit adult needs. Children follow the cues they witness, and the difference in immigrant parenting and cultural norms from the West lead to negotiating identities and feelings in-between two spaces.

By understanding human flaws and the added responsibilities of parents, especially those navigating new countries, we need to forgive past examples of what we thought was love and create new dialogues and actions of love. As adults we need to reflect on these voids and reevaluate childhood memories and feelings.

Our parents are our first loves, the first humans we bond with, a connection that often lasts a lifetime, but sometimes they may not be the best examples of what love is. As Humble poetically reflects: “that’s a part of being human. The love we hold for others, ourselves and the definition of love all evolve with time and growth”. By truly loving ourselves, we are able to love others and allow others to love us. He writes, “Love is to act on it, receive it and service it.”

As we live, we learn to understand how the power of love transforms our being. How to be Love(d) presents the plurality of love: to love beings, being loved and “being love.” To forget what love once meant and begin to learn what love is and can be is necessary to see the beauty and humanity within the world. How to be Love(d) is an inspiring, courageous telling about love, one that reawakened my inner child. I reflect on this as I create a collage of my childhood pictures to recontextualize my childhood memories, childhood and prioritize the little girl who just wanted to be loved.

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Humble the Poet is a Canadian artist, rapper, spoken word poet, former Toronto elementary school teacher and an international best-selling author. He is the mastermind behind Unlearn, Things No One Can Teach Us and his 2022 release - How to be Love(d): Simple Truths for Going Easier on Yourself, Embracing Imperfection and Loving Your Way to a Better Life.

Book review: A ‘strange’ take on the complexities of family, love and desire

Liz Harmer celebrates the launch of her sophomore novel, Strange Loops, at Flying Books this February

By: Hannah Mercanti

Copies of Strange Loops by Liz Harmer and In the Beggarly Style of Imitation by Jean-Marc Ah-Sen on display at Flying Books during the Strange Loops book launch on Feb. 2, 2023. (Hannah Mercanti/CanCulture)

Liz Harmer is not the first author to brave the murky waters of mutually destructive relationships. Many writers have tackled interpreting messy connections between lovers, siblings and families in their own ways. Though, in the acclaimed author’s newest book Strange Loops, this may be the first time we’ve ever seen human connection written quite like this.

In a swift departure from the sci-fi world of Harmer’s previous novel, Strange Loops takes its readers on a bizarre journey through the trials and tribulations of love, both familial and romantic, in all its unsightly forms.

The self-destructive cycles people find themselves in had been in Harmer’s head long before she connected it to her story. In a post-book launch event interview, Harmer shared the inspiration behind her title selection. It had been prompted by Douglas Hofstadter’s book I Am a Strange Loop, a philosophical novel that focuses on how human relationships are essentially feedback loops.

“I was interested in the characters, metaphorically, as a kind of strange loop or a damaged loop where you can't escape the other,” said Harmer. “They’re almost like a snake eating its own tail.”

Days after the novel's initial release in January, launch night had crept up on me. I hopped off the streetcar at College and Shaw streets with my copy of Strange Loops firmly in hand. I heaved open the door to Flying Books, a Canadian bookstore, writing school, independent publishing house and host of Harmer’s launch, while unbothered shoppers rushed in and out of the small shop. Since its opening back in 2015, Flying Books has been the home of numerous book launches, author interviews and writing workshops.

As I meandered up and down the narrow shop, I hardly noticed when a rush of cold air swelled into the room and the door hinges groaned open. Instinctively, my fellow patrons and I turned to see who had entered next. This time, it was Harmer herself. I watched as she lit up the room in a black and yellow checkered skirt and a bright smile and positioned herself beside Jean Marc Ah-Sen, a fellow Toronto-based author who led the evening's discussion.

This was Harmer's first official book launch since the release of The Amateurs in 2018. She emphasized the joy of getting to share her work with those close to her heart as well as newcomers.

“It felt almost like a reunion or wedding,” said Harmer. “Not everybody gets to have a book launch that brings together people from your professional life, your friends who are there to support you, people you haven't seen in a while and readers that you've never met.”

I don’t think books should make moral claims. They’re just written by other fools.

While Harmer worked the room, readers slowly began to fill the small shop with an excited energy. As the night progressed, more and more attendees moved toward the register to get their hands on a copy.

Around 7:30 p.m., the discussion between Harmer and Ah-Sen began. They settled into their chairs and a hush fell over the room. In one swift motion, she cracked the spine of Strange Loops and began with a reading from her first chapter.

With bated breath, the small crowd listened intently, collectively losing themselves in Harmer's narrative.

Strange Loops invites questions of desire and the morality of our desire, mostly through the baffling perspective of the main character, Francine.

Twins Francine and Philip have been at odds with each other since their teens. After Philip catches his teenage sister in a forbidden love affair with their youth pastor, he is unable to forgive her transgression against him and his beliefs.

Harmer’s writing style illustrating Francine's desire is as nuanced as it is complex — she separates desire from morality completely. Francine is smart and self-aware, yet she cannot discern the moral dilemma with her affairs.

Over the course of her life, she feels a strong, desperate attraction towards two men who couldn’t be more different – older Pastor Howie and younger student Alexander. Though, in both of these cases, Francine does not see herself as the victim or the guilty party. Francine believes herself to be good but incapable of making the right choices. This leaves the reader questioning, does that negate the inherent immorality of her actions? We don’t know, and Francine sure doesn’t either.

“I don’t think books should make moral claims,” said Harmer to Ah-Sen. “They’re just written by other fools.”

Liz Harmer poses by copies of Strange Loops displayed on the front counter of Flying Books during the Strange Loops book launch on Feb. 2, 2023. (Hannah Mercanti/CanCulture)

The novel itself debuts at a perfect time. With Valentine’s Day around the corner of its release, many of us have love on the brain. Love comes in all different forms, and more often than not, it can create more problems than solutions. Strange Loops takes this idea and pushes it to the extreme.

Years into the future, Francine and Philip can’t seem to stop themselves from falling into the same self-destructive patterns from their childhoods. Again, Francine finds herself attracted to an inappropriately-aged man and Philip can’t bear to keep himself from ruining his sister's life. 

Harmer’s narrative moves quickly and sneakily. She swiftly jumps from past to present and from character to character, seemingly at random. It might be easy for a reader to become confused or overloaded with information with that style, though that was not the case in Strange Loops.

The dual perspective was engaging, especially in Philip's case. When I started the book, I found him boring, obsessive and borderline annoying since I was seeing him through Francine's eyes. When the perspective switched to Philip, I was able to step into his shoes and enjoy his character a bit more through an inward lens.

Though the novel would be classified more as realistic fiction, the prose is reminiscent of a thriller. Suspense builds from the very first chapter. An argument, detrimental to their relationship, ensues between Philip and Francine, opening the novel, but Harmer holds off on the climax of that argument until much later in the story. This is the same in Francine's case – she doesn't give up the details of her initial teenage affair until halfway through the novel. The thriller-esque suspense is what kept me reading. I was so curious about the root of the twin's animosity and so anxious about Francine's affairs, past and present.

Painfully relatable, Strange Loops deals with heavy topics like religion and sexual assault through the tumultuous relationship of the twins. When talking with Harmer about readers potentially being put off by these subjects, she said, “literature should disturb us sometimes.”

The discussions of assault are candid, but they are compelling. This is because they are realistic – Harmer encourages readers to connect with the characters despite our own discomfort or disapproval of their actions.

Strange Loops can be purchased at Flying Books, Indigo or Amazon.

Three new poetry collection debuts bring creative communities together

The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) hosted poets Britta Badour, Aaron Boothby and Eva H.D. to read from their new anthologies

By: Harrison Clarke

McClelland & Stewart authors Britta Badour, Aaron Boothby and Eva H.D. (Courtesy: M&S, CBC)

Poetry lovers gathered with three talented writers for an evening of creative inspiration, laughter and genuine connection through a shared appreciation for poetic artistry.

In an event held by publisher McClelland & Stewart, a large crowd gathered in the Art Gallery of Ontario’s (AGO) Walker Court to hear readings from Britta Badour’s Wires That Sputter, Aaron Boothby’s Continent and Eva H.D.’s The Natural Hustle.

With introductions from award-winning Canadian poet and author Anne Michaels, the night started with readings from the Brooklyn based poet H.D.

H.D. read poems Belugas, Bonedog and Magic Hour, Manhattan, August from her new book The Natural Hustle. (Harrison Clarke/CanCulture)

Many of her poems explore the deeper complexities of day-to-day life and the beauty in familiar moments that people often overlook. H.D.'s poem, Bonedog, featured in the film I’m Thinking of Ending Things, describes the pain of living a repetitive lifestyle, particularly the ritual of coming home.

“When poetry happens, we encounter our intricate selves,” said guest speaker and award-winning poet Canisia Lubrin while touching on H.D.’s work. “[We take] nothing for granted, not even the terrible things from which poetry challenges, comforts and sustains us.”

Boothby is a Californian poet based out of Montreal who has been published in carte blanche and PRISM. His poetry makes the effort to confront the consequences of colonialism and the violence communities of colour still face.

His poem, Bleach Mythology, describes images of natural landscapes torn by industrial development and languages protected by elders.

Boothby traces his journey as a poet starting out in Riverside, California to Montreal, Canada. (Harrison Clarke/CanCulture)

With Continent, Boothby continues the experimental structure he demonstrated in his chapbooks Reperspirations, Exhalations, Wrapt Inflections (2016) and Wave Fields (2020). The poems often have wide spaces between words.

“The poems of Continent seek answers in the silence of history,” said Michaels. “The broken lines in the poems search and search again, the spaces within them ask us to save room in our hearts.”

Badour concluded the night by rallying the audience to snap their fingers for her fellow poets and themselves. Her poetry, which works with themes of empowerment and community for people of colour, earned her the Toronto Arts Foundation’s Emerging Artist of the Year award in 2021.

One of Badour’s poems, Bit, eloquently reflects these themes by describing the challenge of keeping passion alive through adversity and the self-love needed to fulfil our ambition.

The triumphant tone of Bit saw Badour describing the act of personal growth as giving her “voice the wingspan of a year” to grow stronger and "making language [her] blood," a metaphor for committing to her writing talents.

‘Yeahs’ and ‘that’s rights’ poured out of the crowd as Badour took the stage, demonstrating her popularity and influence in the Toronto poetry scene.

“I met [Badour] back in 2017. I was a fan of her work and approached her to say ‘you are that girl,’” said Keosha Love, poet and founder of community organizing not-for-profit Our Women’s Voices. “I was more of a youngin’ in the poetry and writing scene and she kind of took me under her wing; I support her work always.”

Another listener and poet, Blossom Paige, saw Badour at a poetry event hosted by Love at Toronto’s Soho House.

“Being a Black woman and hearing her experience, I really connected with that,” said Paige. “Hearing it put down in poetry and to have everyone hum and snap to what the poets are saying connects us in the room. It’s a special gift.”

Badour passionately reads her poems ‘This Tongue’ and ‘Bit’. (Harrison Clarke/CanCulture)

McClelland and Stewart’s future projects will see the reissue of Souvankham Thammavongsa’s first three books, a new poetic memoir from Lorna Crozier and an anthology from Joy Kogawa coming November 2023.

Love, loss and dead cats jammed into the freezer: Margaret Atwood in Toronto

Margaret Atwood spoke about her newest release of short stories, Old Babes in the Wood, to a packed Hot Docs Ted Rogers Theatre

By: Anna-Giselle Funes-Eng

Legendary author Margaret Atwood discussed her latest release of short stories with journalist Matt Galloway at the Ted Rogers Hot Docs Cinema on March 6, 2023. (Courtesy of Gabriel Li)

There are few names more synonymous with the realm of Canadian literature than that of Margaret Atwood, the unequivocally brilliant author whose widely anticipated collection of short stories, Old Babes in the Wood, released on March 7, 2023.

The author spoke with CBC’s Matt Galloway at the Ted Rogers Hot Docs Theatre in Toronto, promoting the release of her latest collection. This is her first release of short fiction since Stone Mattress in 2014.

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Atwood’s works are known for exploring a far-reaching scope of genres and themes, from speculative fiction dystopias to grief and werewolves. Old Babes in the Wood consists of 15 new stories which, according to Penguin Random House Canada, draw from grief, folklore and fairy tales.

“You publish stories like this and you find out who needs them. As it turns out, quite a few people,” Atwood said at Hot Docs, commenting on the overarching theme of losing people with age.

She said that she didn’t necessarily set out to write on grief for herself, but for the reader.

Many of the stories featured in the collection draw from Atwood’s real-life experiences, including her misadventures with frozen cat corpses and her relationship with aging and grief.

Some pieces in the collection have been published before, such as “freeforall” which was originally printed in the Toronto Star as an alternative sister story to The Handmaid’s Tale in 1986.

Seven of the 15 stories feature Nell and Tig, a fictional couple who have appeared before in Atwood’s work in Moral Disorder. They were based on Atwood and her late partner of over 50 years, writer Graeme Gibson, who died in 2019. Atwood spoke about how Gibson’s presence is still strongly felt both in her writing and daily life.

When asked how Gibson is still with her, Atwood said, “Let me count the ways. He’s finding a lot of this quite funny. He also finds it funny that he’s become kind of a saint,” she said, listing some of the scholarships they’ve named after him. “He’s having quite a chuckle.”

Atwood said she found that writing about her loss came more naturally — rather than painfully — to her.

“I’m not a masochist […] I enjoy writing. Some people do find it very hard to write and some people are writing about things very painful to them. But I’m not one of those people.”

Margaret Atwood spoke on a wide range of topics, including lousy ChatGPT imitations of her work and the COVID-19 pandemic. (Courtesy of Gabriel Li)

Atwood announced that she is currently working on her memoir, though there was not much she could comment on about it. She also made no promises that it will see the light of day.

“I’m not supposed to talk about it […] anything you haven’t actually finished is theoretical, is it not? When I start getting more interested in historical romance than I am in writing, that’s a bad sign,” Atwood said, evoking laughter from the audience.

The author also touched on her writing process and answered some pre-submitted audience questions. Despite the dystopian themes often presented in her works and in the world today, she does still find that her life is filled with hope and joy.

“I am by nature a hopeful person, and no matter how gloomy their work may be, every writer is a hopeful person too. Let me demonstrate: they start a book, they hope they’ll finish it […] that’s a lot of hope.”

Atwood said she is disinterested in writing about utopias and perfect people because she finds them boring. Instead, she said she’d rather write about the hope found in the shadowed sides of human nature that more accurately reflects the world we live in.

“No matter how awful things may seem, we do hope that things will make a turn for the better.”

3 independent magazines challenging traditional media in Canada

Bring life to your sub inbox by adding these unique publications that tackle topics like colonization and its generational effects, lesbian culture and feelings of love and anger

By: Julia Lawrence

Collage by Julia Lawrence using photos courtesy of Feels, Lez Fez Spread the Word and Living Hyphen

The journalism industry wouldn’t be what it is today without the work and dedication of independent publications. Often referred to as indie publications, these collectives operate outside the realm of corporate or commercial organizations. Rooted in their local communities, they’ve inspired writers to come out of their shells and share personal stories of hope, trauma, and so much more.

By supporting the works of Living Hyphen, Feels and Lez Spread the Word, you are contributing to the flourishing of a new world in journalism. Let’s take a moment to learn more about these three magazines and why they deserve our attention.

Living Hyphen

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Living Hyphen is a magazine that explores the experiences of hyphenated Canadians. Based in Tkaronto (the denomination of what is colonially known as Toronto), their community has storytellers all across Turtle Island. They use short stories, photography, poetry and illustrations to examine what it means to live in-between cultures as individuals who call “Canada” home but with roots elsewhere.

“Our stories are beautiful, heartbreaking, uplifting, contradictory, and constantly unfolding,” says Justine Yu, founder and editor of Living Hyphen.

“Beyond the magazine, we also host a podcast featuring the voices of artists and writers all across Canada, as well as deliver cultural programming to encourage courageous and tender storytelling within our communities.”

Read this post by Yu titled Shifting the Question of “Where are you from?” and get introduced to Living Hyphen’s mission.

How you can shop Living Hyphen: Check out Living Hyphen’s shop page to purchase their issues and merchandise. The magazine is also for purchase at Issues Magazine Shop and Queen Books, and be sure to check out their social media accounts to stay up to date on where their work is being sold.

Feels Zine

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Feels is a contributor-based independent publication featuring personal essays, poetry, illustration and photography. Feels started in Tkaronto where co-creators Sarah Vardy and Hannah Browne both grew up, but Vardy moved to Calgary and Feels now thrives out of both cities. Each issue focuses on a different feeling and explores it from a raw, vulnerable, judgment-free place to cultivate connection and community.

In an email to CanCulture, Vardy and Browne say the publication is “a place to explore, to share, and to be honest. Having an open dialogue about what’s going on inside of us can foster meaningful connection and make us feel less alone, especially in the social-media era that asks us to curate and polish our lives and feelings before sharing them — if we share them at all.”

“Feels believes there are no good or bad feelings — the value comes from how we relate to them, how we experience them and what we learn from them.”

Read the Feels team's favourite article from their Freedom issue, where they interviewed Jeremy Dutcher. It hinges on raw emotions, touching on traditional song and Indigenous sovereignty issues within Canada.

How you can shop Feels: Check out Feels’s shop page to purchase their issues and merchandise. The magazine can also be found across the nation and worldwide in these locations.

Lez Spread The Word

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Lez Spread The Word (LSTW) is an arts-based print publication in Montreal dedicated to producing content by and for lesbian, bisexual, trans and queer women. According to its about page, “it aims, among other things, to move away from the stereotypes conveyed in society and to give visibility to more positive role models.”

In an article with CBC, co-editor-in-chief Stéphanie Verge says that since the beginning, “the LSTW team has been committed to moving forward with initiatives that advocate for LGBTQ+ communities and initiatives that mirror our realities. That's true now more than ever, given the current political climate. There aren't a million magazines out there devoted to women who love women — there aren't even 20 magazines.”

How you can shop LSTW: Check out LSTW’s shop page, where you can purchase their issues and merchandise within Canada and around the world.

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These publications share their love for uplifting the unheard and misrepresented; support their work by reading their latest issues, following their social media or subscribing to their newsletters.

While each of these magazines periodically accepts pitches for their upcoming issues, submissions are currently closed across the board. But as the world is never short of stories to be told, be sure to keep an eye on the publications’ websites to see when submissions open back up.

Of course, if you’re looking for a fourth publication to support that’s based in Canada, don’t forget to check out CanCulture’s recently published work on our website and follow us on Instagram as well. We’re always accepting pitches!

The infinite methods of the writing process

What is their writing routine? What do they do when they’re in a funk? These are the questions writers know best

By: Apurva Bhat

The writer’s process in a nutshell – if only it were that easy. (Suzy Hazelwood/Pexels)

Each writer has their own working pattern. Some write in chaos, while others prefer silence. Some have a disciplined routine and some can’t get themselves to produce content unless they have a deadline staring them in the face.

Starting is the hardest part for me. My journey began in 2018 with informal, personal pieces. I’d experience an emotion, type it out in my Notes app and put it up on Instagram.

In 2020, I decided to major in journalism for my undergraduate degree. As someone who is now in the program, I feel that I’ve somehow lost the practice of writing daily (how ironic). I’m not entirely sure what the reasons behind this are; perhaps it was the pandemic or that I don’t know what my niche is or that I still haven’t figured out what routine works best for me.

There are writers, such as Haley Sengsavanh, a third-year journalism student at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU), who are methodical. She thrives in a decluttered environment with outlines she can refer to and all of her content available in one, single document. “I need to be alone when I write,” she said.

Similarly, TMU third-year journalism student Isabella Monaco also needs space away from people and noise in order to accelerate her writing process. While countless students find sitting in a coffee shop with a laptop, lo-fi music and a matcha latte will always do the trick, Monaco would rather stay away from the hustle and bustle.

I, however, am the exact opposite of Sengsavanh and Monaco. I work in what could be described as using unstructured and flexible methodologies. My work is usually not in one single document or even saved in the same folder. Similar to how you solve a jigsaw puzzle, I write bits and pieces sporadically, not knowing exactly how it’s going to look in the end, but eventually, they find their way together.

Based in the U.K., Sanika Shah is a travel blogger who founded Saunter with Sanika during the pandemic. She describes herself as a “chaotic writer.”

“I know the structure I’d like to follow: introduction, body, attractions to visit, things I liked or disliked,” said Shah. “At the same time, I don’t have everything in one spot. I’ll feel an emotion about something and write it down. I’ll get ideas of a topic and note it somewhere.” 

For Shah, creating a personal connection with her work is essential. She said there isn’t a formula to the process. “It’s not like math where one plus one equals two.”

And rightfully so. We can’t categorize writers into certain types — our styles change with time and our practices can be a combination of various routines, whether it’s finding a quiet spot to place your thoughts onto paper or immersing yourself in the busiest environment in order to get yourself in a productive mood. 

“Sometimes you’re procrastinating and going for a walk but sometimes that walk is a part of the writing process,” she said.

Damian Rogers, a poet who teaches creative writing at TMU, says that several writers put immense pressure on themselves to produce the perfect piece.

“Most people that are creative face some resistance to create,” said Rogers.

This subconscious urge to create phenomenal work can sometimes lead to writer’s block. Most writers have, at some point in their journey, faced the urge to simply not write. Sharing the stories you create is an extremely vulnerable process, one that can be extremely draining.

Somewhere and somehow, the reader can sense exactly who you are through your words, which is a vulnerable process. It becomes even harder when the work you so passionately put out there doesn’t receive the recognition or appreciation it deserves— or rather recognition that feels proportionate to the time and resources invested into it.

Rogers, who has published three books, including her poignant memoir An Alphabet for Joanna: A Portrait of My Mother in 26 Fragments, said that before attending grad school, she believed established writers wouldn't struggle with insecurities surrounding their process.

“When I met and spoke with [the writers], I realized it’s far from true,” she said. “A part of me was distressed but also, it's a very normal, human thing to feel unsure of yourself.”

She elaborated, saying it’s truly about embracing the fact that the process is slightly messy and that, sometimes, we need extra time for ourselves to create. 

“Sometimes you’re procrastinating and going for a walk but sometimes that walk is a part of the writing process,” she said.

Monaco finds that reading other people’s work and talking with friends helps her get out of a block. While Shah tries working from the middle instead of starting with the introduction to get the process started. Rogers recommends taking breaks and, as simple as it may sound, sometimes even tricking herself to not feel self-conscious.

“Try to create a practice where you go back to those incomplete works you’ve created – return to your pile or files of paper and work,” said Rogers. “You’d be surprised by how much a little time away from something gives you perspective on what to do next.”

Epitaphs Of The Heart: A Lover’s Anthology

This poetry collection is not only a celebration of love, but an embrace of what has once been and what will come again

SHAMROCK SUN

By: Miranda Kanter

@miranda.kanter

I think of you as the colour yellow.

Those specs and spatters of dust suspended in light; hushed yellow as it breaks through your window. Your window, which keeps its back to the sun, so sunrise for us only happens at noon. A midday sunrise – you are a morning delayed; seeping through the Irish flag that covers your window, washing that yellow light green.

I think of you as the colour red.

As your rouge-streaked cheeks toning mine, untempered. By September, you’ll be well back in Belfast; I turn my head to the side and stick out my tongue to scrape it clean of the words I and love and you. Without time to wonder whether I really yet mean the words stuck to the tips of my nails, I tuck them into the hair that I brush back behind your ear, for you to take back home.

Back home, I eat as you fall asleep; fall asleep just when you wake. When I wake, it’s with the sun at noon, your time.

I think of you still as a midday sunrise.

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POCKET MEMORIES: HOLDING ON

By: Ella Morale

@pocket.elfie

it feels so special to hold your

book with your pencil marks

scratched through it

i want you to mark my skin

i want you to fold my corners in

at the parts that feel most

important to you

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TANGIBLE LOVE

By: Eri Dixon

@eri.ecdc

Hold the fire until it burns your hands then keep holding.

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UNTITLED MUSING ON DAY #103

By: Florence Syed

@sleepyy.pixie

I had to learn the hard way that love should not be unconditional. 

An honourable notion

But one that is dishonest

The way that I love is through devotion

I will spend day after day running my fingers through the knots of your hair and awakening early to place honey and bread at your feet and I will clutch your hand and kiss at your flesh in attempts to soothe when your eyes are wet

I will devote my flesh, time, blood, bones and anything you’d wish from me all that I pray is that you ask me to 

All that I pray is that you desire me to 

recognize my yearning to love you, to need you, to want you, to take you 

But love without conditions is one that neglects the self

It is one that leaves the giver with empty hands and tired knuckles

One that gives and gives and gives but the reciprocation can never be of equal footing

Not when I deify you into a god and lie on my knees before you

Worshipping and praying in a manner that many would argue is unbecoming 

But devotion has made me reckless and simultaneously weak 

Weak knees, weak ankles and weakened restraints 

and by placing you so high it leaves you in no other position but to look down at me 

And that is not the way that I desire to be looked at by any lover. 

---

EVERYONE

By: Annie Chantraine

@goo_g1rl

I want to be in love with everyone in the world.

My physical body is only capable of such a limited expression of love compared to the sheer scope of love I feel shoot through me like sun arrows.

I want to feel every heartbreak, every tender cheek graze, every tear hitting every casket, every kiss planted on the lips for the first time.

I want to feel it all and I want to make everyone feel it too. 

I want to follow the thread that weaves us together. 

I want to start at beginnings and cross boundaries of space and time and body and world

I want to return to you and start again, forever, differently each time.

---

Flame To A Wick

By: Harsh Patankar 

@vantablackcult

Candied words like wisps of smoke

Float between our lips

Filling the room with the sweet hum

Of gods flame to a wick

When I eat the sun

Casting all in my shade 

I’ll leave you the moon

The only jewel in my blade

Slick in my own depths

You refract hands of light

Many colours light a lamp

As I fall from great height

---

SWEAT IT OFF AND THE REST IS JUST A DAY WITH YOU

By: Emmanuelle Toohey-Carignan 

@ithinkthatuh

Moonlight on the open shore

The streetlights glowing door to door 

Your frame reclining on the floor

I don’t think I’ll speak anymore

What if I hurt you? 

Wipe the plasma off your sore

Outside we chase green shining from lighthouses in distant dark

We ran through eyesore streets and dog parks 

Let off our leash

What if I lose you to my longing?

---

(SUCKER PUNCH)

By: Anna-Giselle Funes-Eng

@annagiselle.fe

I think I might’ve loved you

In another life before

I wonder, is it selfish

To maybe ask you for one more?

Stand at the window waiting 

You frost the glass with bated breath 

Thinking as you breathe out the world

With lovely slow, uneven heft

Maybe I did love you once

I never can be sure

I think that if I loved you

I’d still want to. Just one more. 

Everyone deserves a happily ever after: Canada’s first romance bookstore

A look into Canada’s first bookshop catered exclusively to the romantic

By Zoie Karagiannis 

Jenny Pool, owner of Happily Ever After Books, hosts a pop-up bookshop at The Word On The Street Toronto book festival on June 11 and 12, 2022. (@happilyeverafterbks via Instagram)

What’s not to love about romance novels? From love-at-first-glance to enemies-to-lovers, there’s a trope out there for everyone. The suspenseful plots have readers captivated and swooning, and above all, it has them rooting for characters to fall in love and find their happy ending.

According to BookNet Canada, romance fiction book sales in Canada saw a 44 per cent increase from June 2020 to June 2021, but up until this year, Canada had no dedicated shop for lovers of the genre.

Luckily for romance fans, Canada was gifted with its first romance-only bookstore, Happily Ever After Books, in May of this year – and we have Jenny Pool to thank.

The online bookstore sells everything from bestsellers, LGBTQ reads, to BIPOC love stories and historical and fantasy books, while also highlighting novels written by Canadian authors. It’s very important to Pool to have diversity in the bookstore.

She makes it her job to try and pick up any romance books people have been talking about online (she’s constantly scrolling through Twitter, Instagram and TikTok) or through word of mouth from other readers. Pool welcomes anyone to contact her if there is a book they want her to order that isn’t currently in stock.

Pool always wanted to own a bookstore and after the pandemic, where she worked from home for a construction company, she finally put the wheels in motion. Happily Ever After Books has hosted many pop-ups, which have allowed her to connect with readers face-to-face. “I wanted to interact with the public in a way I can’t in my day job, I love talking to people about romance books. It’s a sickness in the best way!”

While she has a couple of people who work for her on a by-the-gig basis to help sell books at her pop-ups and some who graciously volunteer their time, Pool is the store’s only employee. In the seven months the online bookstore has been running, it has gathered a dedicated fanbase.

“We have a group of amazing supporters and I see so many at our pop-up events every month because they so desperately want to be in-person at a romance bookstore and I want that for them too,” Pool said.

She's had multiple people thank her for bringing Happily Ever After Books into existence and giving them a space where they can come in and not be shamed for buying a romance novel.

Love is everything. I can’t imagine a world without it

Although the romance genre is immensely popular, there’s a stigma surrounding the works of love and heartbreak. A 2015 study in the Gender and Society journal described the extent some readers have gone to conceal the fact that they are reading romance, such as hiding the books from their family, regularly defending themselves and their capacity to distinguish reality from fantasy and even using book covers in public. The disdain for the romance genre can also be attributed to underlying misogyny, including any contempt some people feel toward its readers. 

But there should be no shame in reading stories you enjoy. “Everyone deserves a happily ever after. That’s our unofficial motto,” Pool declared.

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Jacquelyn Middleton, a Canadian romance and contemporary fiction author, loves love. With her own romance books published, such as The Certainty of Chance and Say Hello, Kiss Goodbye, she said that there is nothing more enchanting than a love story with a happy ending. 

“Love is everything. I can’t imagine a world without it,” she said. “With all the scary stuff in the world, we need something that celebrates love, hope and so much more. The romance genre does that.”

She noticed that the romance-only bookstore is incredibly well-received and long overdue.

“Seeing Jenny start this up was a breath of fresh air, and so exciting. To have someone out there that loves romance like we do makes it feel like we are in this together,” Middleton said. “She can’t help but be successful, because she has so many people behind her who want her to succeed. She also celebrates the authors along with romance readers, and to have someone like this in your corner is so amazing.” 

Middleton enjoys all kinds of love stories. She says that romance is a genre that takes the time to have diverse characters and provides a platform for different voices and their experiences.

“We also see things being discussed such as consent or birth control. Romance is so progressive and that too is a real treat because it is always changing and always improving.” she said.

The pop-up bookstores for Happily Ever After Books have been sought-after and in demand. The store garnered huge success at the Word on the Street Toronto book and magazine festival as well as at smaller scale pop-ups at Evergreen Brick Works, Happy Soul and Little Ghost Bookstore and Cafe.

In August, the Society Clubhouse held an event with Happily Ever After Books to celebrate Bookstore Romance Day. Erica Campbell, one of the organizers, said many people were walking by the College Street patio and checking the books out.

She hopes that for every romantic, there is a novel out there that can be their perfect match

The Society Clubhouse is a multi-purpose community space run by women. As such, it was natural for Pool and the organization to collaborate and hold the event. Pool even teamed up with them to create a beer called, “Hoppily Ever After,” nodding to the hops used to brew the pale ale. Her husband helped them design the custom label and the drink was a hit with many at the event.

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Pool hopes to have more pop-ups outside of Toronto soon to reach more Canadians who have been waiting for a shop like this. She wants to allow more readers in this community to get the chance to experience a romance-only bookstore. 

Pool has been able to see the romance community in the GTA continue to build and grow in real time at these events. “It’s nice that other people just appreciate being able to shop and connect with other readers, and even with myself to be able to talk about romance and find books you wouldn’t be able to find easily.”

She hopes that for every romantic, there is a novel out there that can be their perfect match.

“One of my biggest things is that I want anyone who walks into Happily Ever After Books, wherever we are, to be able to find a romance novel that’s for them. It doesn’t matter what you are looking for, and I don’t care if it’s a Duke, a seven-foot-tall alien or an aromantic baker – I’ll find it for you,” she said.

While Pool hopes to open a physical bookstore one day in the upcoming year, she is setting her sights on pop-ups, different subgenres of romance and other ways people can enjoy them. She plans to create more book-related merch and is considering starting an online book club, with the possibility of some smaller book club meetings in-person.

Top Canadian books to watch out for in 2023

A new year means the earth has begun a new orbit around the sun — but for readers it means new worlds of words await

By: Melanie Nava Urribarri

In most parts of Canada, January always brings a familiar, freezing breeze that seeps through thick coats and tickles the nerves on our skin as we try desperately to stay warm. This frigid month also puts forward the promise of new beginnings and the slow descent of the winter months. You just have to survive, let the snow become a routine and the early sundown blanket you until the summer brings back its comforting warmth.

It’s clear that enjoying winter can be hard for most of us (I personally will not leave my house unless necessary), but with January, Canada also brings along an ocean of writers that the new year has given opportunity to. They’re well-rested and excited to let their words flow to the masses. So for your survival, I’ve listed below a few of the top Canadian books to watch out for in 2023 to help you get that last push you need to get through this harsh, Canadian winter.

“What Remains of Elsie Jane” by Chelsea Wakelyn

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Written by Canadian musician and author Chelsea Wakelyn from Vancouver Island, this novel holds 4.5 stars on Goodreads so far from readers who have received the book in advance.

As an adult fiction novel, it’s described to be “a heartbreaking and darkly funny portrait of a woman unravelling in the wake of tragedy.” The story follows Elsie Jane, who has just lost her partner. She’s left to manage the hardships of life and care for her daughter and son on her own, as well as manage her grief alone. Advance readers felt the loss portrayed was authentic to the grieving process, though because of the heavy material directly related to that distress, they say it was a bit hard to get entirely lost in the novel.

If you’re interested in reading contemporary, heart-wrenching realities, this book may be for you. What Remains of Elsie Jane will be available on Amazon and at Barnes and Nobles for purchase starting Feb. 28, 2023.

“Sing, Nightingale” by Marie Hélène Poitras

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Written by Marie Hélène Poitras in French and translated into English by Rhonda Mullins, this book holds 3.4 stars on Goodreads and is described as “a gothic tale of secrets and revenge.”

The novel is a mix of the mystique and the sinister. Right off the bat, it is revealed that an estate once flourishing, is falling into ruin — along with the people inhabiting it. Following a long line of fathers who have succeeded in these lands at the expense of others (mostly women), a woman by the name of Aliénor is brought to the community by the current father of the estate. She brings a promise to the land —that the plants will flourish, the animals will multiply and each feast will be more sumptuous than the last. The twist? Aliénor is a “whisperer,” a woman that is able to awaken past generations of silenced women now able to have their voices heard.

If gothic fiction is your genre, this novel will be published Feb. 14, 2023, and available at All Lit Up.

“Old Babes in the Wood” by Margaret Atwood

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A highly anticipated new release by literary legend Margaret Atwood, her first short story collection since 2014 dives into the depths of “family relationships, marriage, loss and memory, and what it means to spend a life together.”

Here, Atwood is able to go back to short fiction, returning with her creativity and her prized skill at touching the driving forces of humanity with stories that continue to both delight and devastate.

Coming out on March 7, 2023, this book will be available at Indigo as well as many other bookstores across the country.

“Ring of Fire: High-Stakes Mining in a Lowlands Wilderness” by Virginia Heffernan

A very exciting delivery to one of CIM Magazine’s satellite offices. Congratulations to @VirginiaHeff Looking forward to tucking into this. pic.twitter.com/AGzntqc3fJ

— Ryan Bergen (@Ryan_CIM_Mag) January 16, 2023

Expected March 14, 2023, this book is written by Virginia Heffernan, an author from Toronto and a former geoscientist.

This historical fiction incorporates relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people at a time when prospectors discover metal deposits under the James Bay Lowlands of Northern Ontario in 2007. These findings lure an American company and force politicians to confront their legal duties in the consultation of Indigenous Peoples on developing their traditional territories.

Ring of Fire: High-Stakes Mining in a Lowlands Wilderness is a well-researched, provocative piece on Northern resources and opens up a variety of discussions of issues that are still real and present in 2023.

Herfferman’s novel will be available at Indigo and Amazon, as well as at many other distributors.

“Bad Cree” by Jessica Johns

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By Indigenous-Canadian author Jessica Johns, a member of Sucker Creek First Nation in Treaty 8 territory in Northern Alberta, this novel was initially an award-winning short story and is now a full-length novel. It incorporates elements of the horror genre mixed with magical realism. The story follows a young Cree woman “whose dreams lead her toward self-discovery and eventually seep into reality.” Currently, this novel has four stars on Goodreads and many have described it as beautifully-written, touching upon heavy themes in Canada’s Indigenous history while putting a focus on dreams, which can hold intense significance within Cree culture.

Bad Cree was published on Jan. 10, 2023, and is currently available on Amazon for purchase.

Are these titles not capturing your interest? Don’t worry! There are hundreds more Canadian novels out there, such as On the Ravine by Vincent Lam, Snow Road Station by Elizabeth Hay or The Fake by Zoe Whittall. Without a doubt, one is sure to spark your interest and make your heart warm and full no matter the weather. 

A literary world of wonder: The 2022 Toronto Book Awards

After a 2-year hiatus, the 48th Toronto Book Awards returns in-person to celebrate this year’s 5 shortlisted books

By: Shaki Sutharsan

City Councillor Paul Ainslie (far left) with the shortlisted authors for the 2022 Toronto Book Awards. From left to right: Adrienne Shadd (The Underground Railroad, Next Stop, Toronto!), Sarah Polley (Run Towards the Danger, winner), H.N. Khan (Wrong Side of the Court), Falen Johnson (Two Indians) and Camilla Gibb (The Relatives). (Courtesy of City of Toronto)

The Toronto Reference Library has always been a safe haven for me. I can lose myself among the stacks for hours or scatter my creative menagerie out onto one of the tables by the windows. On Nov. 16, I aimed to step inside the library to attend the 48th annual Toronto Book Awards, the soles of my shoes slipping against the pavement as I scrambled to escape the bitter cold that had settled in the city this past November.

The Toronto Book Awards have been taking place in the city since 1974. The award, which offers $10,000 in prize money for the winner with each shortlisted author receiving $1,000, was first established to recognize the “literary merit” of novels that made a significant contribution to the city’s cultural landscape in the past year.

 This year, the awards received 73 submissions. The shortlisted novels and the winner were selected by a jury comprised of past shortlisted author Ann Y.K. Choi, poet Khashayar “Kess” Mohammadi, author Phillip Dwight Morgan, retired Toronto librarian Margaret Henry and Indigenous educator Brenda Wastasecoot.

Shivering inside the foyer of the library, I hauled myself into the elevator and headed to the second floor without stopping to consult the directory posted by the elevator bank – I’d been a frequent visitor since I was 10-years-old. When my parents had first taken me there, I remember craning my neck up to marvel at the cavernous walls of the library, bouncing excitedly in place at the thought of someday becoming one of the tired-looking students hunched over their laptop. 

Now firmly planted in the shoes of those bleary-eyed college students, I stepped off the elevator on the second floor, lugging my backpack into the Bram and Bluma Appel Salon, where the awards ceremony was taking place that evening. I stepped inside, feeling like an imposter, eyeing the wide wooden platform spanning the front of the room and the podium on top of it with second-hand trepidation.

The Appel Salon stretched back towards the bar and the refreshments table. Chairs were arranged into neat rows facing the stage and were already filling up with attendees. It seemed like I was one of the youngest people there, and I felt woefully inadequate. What did I know about literature? I was a rookie, still hesitant to tell people my ambitions as an author myself. I didn’t feel like I was allowed to call myself one yet.

As the crowd’s chatter began to hit a wall, a hush settled over the room as Ismail Alfa, the host of CBC Radio’s Metro Morning, took the stage.

“You’ll have to excuse me this evening if I pause every once in a while,” Alfa began with a grin as he stood behind the podium. “It’s just me kind of soaking in the energy of real people being in the same room as me.” 

A smatter of laughter drifted through the crowd and I found myself nodding along emphatically. Over the last two years, I’d almost forgotten that there are real people who exist beyond BookTok and enjoy novels as much as I do.

A heavy silence fell over the crowd when the first of the five shortlisted authors, Camilla Gibb, took the stage to read a passage from her novel, The Relatives. Gibb painted a solemn picture of Lila, the first character introduced in one of three intersecting storylines in the book. Lila is a social worker in Toronto assigned to a case where a young girl has been found wandering High Park in her pyjamas. 

I was taken back to afternoons in Grade 2 spent sitting on the carpet in front of my teacher, stricken with awe as I found myself enraptured with the story she was reading to us that day. I hadn’t felt that same feeling in years —- of being entirely lost in a story that I wasn’t reading on my own.

There is something soul-binding about having an artist share their work with you. It creates an intimacy that you would be hard-pressed to experience elsewhere. Whether it’s an artist’s exhibit of their work carefully put together or any instance of live music, the shared moment of artistic vulnerability and its subsequent reverence can be breathtaking.

When you sit in front of an author as they read from a story they’ve crafted and grown over months or possibly years, it can feel like they’re giving you a part of their heart. 

One by one, the other shortlisted authors – Falen Johnson, H.N. Khan, Sarah Polley and Adrienne Shadd – took to the stage to read from their own work. In the words they shared, I felt their vulnerability and allowed myself to sink into my own.

Johnson, a Mohawk and Tuscarora playwright and the host of CBC podcast, Buffy, said in a post-event interview that she’d never considered herself to be a writer. “I didn’t think I was smart enough to do it. I felt like it had to be done in a really specific way and that world wasn’t for me.”

At the event, Johnson read from her play, Two Indians, about what she described to be a “common experience” on reserves across Canada and the United States.

“Car accidents are a bit of an epidemic in our communities. We lose people … there was an accident that affected some people in my family and I wanted to look into that and try and find some healing in that,” Johnson said before reading an exchange between two characters in her play. 

Khan, a Pakistani-Canadian first-time author who grew up in Regent Park, read a passage from Wrong Side of the Court. His debut novel tells the story of 15-year-old Fawad Chaudhry as he navigates his love for basketball, his father’s death and his mother’s desire to arrange a marriage for him to his first cousin in Pakistan.

“This is a way for me to fantasize myself about two things I love: basketball and my mother’s cooking,” the author shared. 

Polley, who was awarded the 2022 Toronto Book Award for her memoir, Run Towards the Danger, joked about her book being “a series of personal essays that are written with the intention of making you feel really sorry for me.” The autobiographical memoir examines post-traumatic memory and our relationships with our bodies. On Jan. 13, Polley’s film, Women Talking, was released in theatres. 

Finally, Shadd read from an updated version of the book that she had written with the collaboration of Afua Cooper and Karolyn Smardz Frost, The Underground Railroad, Next Stop, Toronto! The passage told a poignant true story about two couples that made their way to Canada through the Underground Railroad.

As an aspiring author, I felt a sense of community in that room. I no longer felt out of place or intimidated. I realized this was a home for all readers, regardless of age or literary expertise. Similar to the library itself, it was a cultural centrepiece that, at its core, bred a love for storytelling and authentic learning. 

Johnson said she tells young writers to embrace being a storyteller. “We all have stories ... try not to be intimidated by whatever preconceived notions about what the publishing world is like, what the literary world is like.”

When I left the Toronto Reference Library later that evening, with a signed copy of The Relatives cradled against my chest, I knew that I’d just witnessed a glimpse of what the real literary world looked like and it was nothing like I’d imagined. As I walked away from the setting of a myriad of my literary dreams, Johnson’s words reverberated quietly within me:

“Write your story, write your voice, because if you try to put those expectations on yourself of what you think it should be…, which I've been guilty of doing, it'll just stifle you.”

Check out a live stream of the full event below:

Queer Bookclub Toronto: Diversifying the LGBTQ community with books

How one group of bookworms is changing the queer literary scene in Toronto

By: Hannah Mercanti

(Robert Anasch/Unsplash)

One by one, a small group gathers around an empty bar table, antsy for the insightful discussion to begin. Each of them clutches their own copy of the chosen book-of-the-month in their arms tightly, every one annotated with a personal touch.

At the heart of Queer Bookclub Toronto, since its outset in 2019, is a community formed around reading. Every month, this keen group of bookworms prepares to discuss, interpret and pick apart a new story.

“All the gays, reading all the books,” proudly claims the Instagram bio of the queer-run discussion group whose mission, according to their founder Kate Bullen, is to provide a safe space for LGBTQ and BIPOC readers around the city through discussions of queer literature.

For Bullen, one of the core values is to read diversely, which means something different for every reader. From taking on an unfamiliar genre to reading more from queer and BIPOC authors, anything that broadens a reader's perspective counts.

Since the early pandemic days, Bullen has been on a mission to bring LGBTQ book lovers together in a relaxed, intersectional environment accessible to all.

“I was actually still living in Guelph at the time and was looking to make friends and form a community around books,” said Bullen.

Near the end of 2021, Bullen moved from Guelph to Toronto and brought Queer Bookclub along with her. A couple of months later in March of 2022, Bullen made a post on the Queer Bookclub Instagram announcing that the club would now be based in Toronto and was accepting new members.

“It was still on Zoom, so we had some members in Guelph and Toronto,” said Bullen. As pandemic restrictions loosened and the weather got warmer, meetings transitioned to in-person gatherings and away from virtual calls. Consequently, Guelph membership went down due to the distance, while Toronto membership began to solidify.

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As the group grew, Bullen noticed a trend.

“At the beginning, the majority of members were white lesbians,” said Bullen. “Eventually a few people brought it up to me that we didn’t have enough trans members or members of colour.”

In response to this, Bullen has come up with a working solution. For certain months, new members from BIPOC and Transgender communities would be prioritized.

“Basically, it just means that some people have to wait a bit longer to join, which is fine because we want a more diverse group,” said Bullen.

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This diversity issue isn’t a unique one. In Toronto, many popular queer spots still remain inaccessible to a diverse range of people, according to Bullen.

This sentiment is echoed by one of Queer Bookclub’s longest-standing members, Emily Bruce.

Bruce knew Bullen in the pre-pandemic days when they both lived in Guelph. She joined when the book club was first starting for the same reason it all began – to find a sense of community.

“I was looking for an environment that wasn’t centred around drinking and that kind of culture,” said Bruce. “And I think for young people, so much of it revolves around that.”

When Queer Bookclub moved to Toronto, Bruce moved around the same time.

“It feels like there are so many [queer spaces] in Toronto, but at the same time, there aren’t enough,” said Bruce. “I know that in terms of ableism, it's harder.”

Dev Ramsawakh, a queer disabled authour based in Toronto, reports that many disabled and chronically ill members of Toronto’s LGBTQ+ community have been feeling “really bad” watching other LGBTQ+ people gather unsafely and forgo masking despite steady death and infection rates.

Some members even feel that the community is actively excluding immunocompromised and high-risk people. Since unmasked spaces aren’t safe for them to attend, they are being separated from the community as a whole while able-bodied members are encouraged to “return to normal,” they write.

According to Bullen, people who cannot access typical nightlife spaces, especially sober folks, have been very appreciative of the space. In fact, a recent meeting featured both alcoholic and non-alcoholic cocktails.

“There’s crossover, of course. There are lots of people I've met at bookclub who I end up going out and doing nightlife things with,” says Bullen, “but it’s just a different environment.”

Stephanie Borowik, another long-term member, felt similarly after relocating to Toronto from Guelph and realized how centred the city is on nightlife.

“I’m 32. I don’t want to go out to the bar, I want to be in bed by nine,” said Borowik. “So it's nice to be able to make connections with like-minded people in a more comfortable environment.”

Toronto bookstores to support this holiday season

Five independent and local bookstores with different genres for all types of readers

By: Allison Baldwin

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During the holiday season, you may be asking yourself what the book lover in your life would appreciate as a gift. It can be a challenge to find the right story with innumerable genres and pieces of literature available at hand. Fortunately, with this gift guide that highlights independent and local Toronto bookstores, finding the perfect present for your bookworm doesn't have to be stressful this holiday season.

Acadia Art & Rare Books

Acadia Art & Rare Books is a bookstore specializing in antique, rare and out-of-print books. Located at 232 Queen St. E., this old-timey shop buys and sells antiquarian books with all its material authenticated beforehand. This shop is quintessential for appreciators of the arts and all things vintage — making it a terrific spot to shop for collectors and second-hand shoppers alike.

Bakka-Phoenix Books

Bakka-Phoenix Books is a unique bookstore specializing in science fiction and fantasy literature located at 84 Harbord St. This long-running shop prides itself on being part of the greater community of sci-fi and fantasy fanatics and is known to be Canada’s oldest bookstore of its kind! With so many options to choose from, you’re guaranteed to find something fascinating at this shop.

Little Ghosts

Little Ghosts is an indie bookstore combined with a café located at 930 Dundas St. W. This quaint shop is filled with any horrific tale imaginable, making it the best place to shop for the friend who loves the thrill and chills of a scary story! With the bookshelves constantly refreshed and restocked, horror fanatics can find precisely what they are looking for, whether it be spine-chilling hidden gems or the latest spooky release from their favourite author.

Silver Snail Comics

Silver Snail Comics is a long-running comic book store situated at 809 Queen St. W. after its recent relocation. The store, perfect for comic book enthusiasts, has an embedded history with over 45 years in business. It has everything you need to find the perfect gift, from hidden treasures to mainstream finds. With its broad selection of new releases along with some of the classics, Silver Snail is an excellent place to shop for the comic book fan in your life. 

Queen Books

Queen Books is a community and general-interest bookstore located at 914 Queen St. E. This shop carries a curated selection of mostly contemporary fiction and has something for every type of book lover. In an effort to help customers find what they are looking for, the team has put together a holiday guide of staff picks and bookish ideas every day for the month of December. Each day comes with a different theme, from intricate storytelling in non-fiction and graphic novels to historical fiction and highly anticipated 2022 releases. There is so much to choose from Queen Book’s extensive collection!

Zines: A nuanced gateway for artists

Dynamic and culturally significant, artists have come together since the 1930’s to create zines for their niches

By: Melanie Nava Urribarri

(ArturoAez/PIXABAY).

Art has always been ever-changing. From the ancient civilizations carving stone statues, the paintings of the renaissance, to the digital work easily published on our various social media platforms, art has never been able to be defined as one thing. What has also varied greatly throughout history, is how artwork has been published and disseminated to audiences.

As described by the Art Gallery of Ontario, zines are generally non-commercial, non-professional publications created out of a community’s interests and passions and are often self-published.

Zines compile all sorts of art together, – from creative writing and poetry to illustrations and photography – and aren’t usually for profit, but rather exist to grant opportunities to unheard voices and artists of all levels.

Zines and zine culture have been around since the early 30s and have become the most accessible way for artists to collaborate with other artists and share their work widely. They originated from science fiction “fandoms,” defined as a community or subculture made of fans of a particular interest. According to Book Riot, the largest independent editorial book site in North America, the first zine was “a little publication called The Comet” created by the Science Correspondence Club. In 1947, the first ever queer fanzine was published.

Today, zines come from a wide variety of fandoms and other cultural communities around the world, bringing together artists of multiple backgrounds and experiences. Zines mean something different for all artists, making each project a unique experience for both its creators and those who get to bear witness to their creation.

“Zines are a way for me to connect with other creatives that love the same thing I do,” said Zabrinah Santiago, a freelance illustrator known as @itme.z on Instagram who has participated in over 20 zines since 2019.

“I don’t think I’d have gotten close to my current art style if it wasn’t for being in my first zine. Being surrounded by so many wonderful artists who were willing to give helpful advice heavily improved my art so much,” she added.

For some artists, it was friends that introduced them to zine culture.

“I first came across zines through friends. Zines allow me to push my skills with every new illustration…the books and merch seem surprisingly professional despite often being fan-made projects,” shared Instagram artist Mishii.

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For many others, fandoms linked them to the zine canon.

“I’ve been a part of fandom culture since my pre-teens, and to this day I love making a lot of fanart for my current obsessions,” said Lio Chan, an illustration student at Rhode Island School of Design that currently focuses on traditional and 2D digital art with different styles and compositions.

“Because of social media and dedicated zine blogs, I found out about several fandom-related zines and I immediately wanted to be a part of these community-based efforts to celebrate artists within fandoms,” he said. Chan adds that being surrounded by other content creators with the same niche interests helped him network and gain credibility as an up-and-coming artist.

The further he delved into zine-making, the more Chan ventured into topics such as other forms of art, history and the culture of self-published zines often based around social justice and identity.

While the first modern-concept of zines did reach the public in the 30s, many social-justice works and texts by various historical figures could be considered some of the earliest forms of zines – or at least ideas that the zine community now has built on.

For example, in 1895 during the French Revolution, French anarchist Sébastien Faure used the self-publishing practice to publish the issues of his newspaper Le Libertaire as a means of subversive political expression.

Toronto Grade 12 student and head of management of the zine The Brain Scramble Elisa Penha joined the zine community initially as a writer and photographer. By helping a friend who had been active in the zine community in Taiwan but was unfamiliar with the Canadian zine community resources, Penha said she was able to immerse herself in zine culture which she found so liberating, as artists were able to express themselves independently and with agency.

“I think it’s a really good way for marginalized communities to express their stories in physical means,” said Penha. “Because a lot of the time queer communities and POC communities, they don't get the chance to be part of larger publications just because of institutionalized discrimination all the time, no matter how talented they may be.”

“Zines are very much against that sort of system.”

As freeing as these collaborations and publications can be, some may find entering the zine scene to be a little daunting. Like entering any field of work, whether as a hobby or profession, it is always important to do your research while choosing a zine and community to collaborate with to make sure it's right for you.

“Recently, there has been some backlash in the online zine community, especially on Twitter,” said Chan. Chan attributes this to the commodification of zines by influential online artists, making zinemaking inaccessible. This creates “a standard of art when the concept of zinemaking is inherently against setting an art standard,” he says.

Chan gives the example of an event in which a zine moderator of an extremely popular online zine project was caught embezzling $80,000 from the project and spending it all gambling on a mobile game.

He adds that “even though non-fandom related zines continue to be impactful in their own communities, the sheer influence and money that some fandom-related zines are able to amass have led to inevitable standards that are placed to avoid huge disasters like this from happening again.”

But Chan still has hope for the zine community. While capitalistic undercurrents can be frustrating, the zine community is so large that the path to being part of a zine or self-publishing your own work does not have to be hindered by these poor experiences.

If you yourself are an artist interested in being a part of zine culture, Santiago shared three pieces of advice based off her experience on applying to zines:

1. Research moderators

2. Look for experience and age. Most issues that arise in zines are because of mishandling due to a mod’s inexperience in zines or working on large-scale group projects.

3. Don’t be discouraged if you get rejected from a zine. It does not ever mean your work isn’t good. There are lots of reasons to be rejected like your art style might not fit with the theme (i.e. hardcore edgy styles may not work super well with sweet family-centric zines.) Being rejected so many times helped me improve more or helped me build a skin that can tolerate bigger work rejections.

Write On! Write Now: How this literary open mic night is making its mark

The host of a weekly creative exhibition has designed a safe space for writers to express themselves

By: Zoie Karagiannis

Bampot House of Tea and Board Games is located on Harbord Street in Toronto. It’s the home of Write On! Write Now, a literary open mic hosted by Jen Frankel. (Mia Johnson/CanCulture) 

As an accomplished author, screenwriter and musician, Jen Frankel has a lot on her resume. She has written several novels spanning across all genres, including horror, fantasy, science fiction and the supernatural. Beyond her creative career, Frankel consistently aims to help people become better at their craft. She says her philosophy is to never put her own stamp on someone’s work or make anyone feel as though they’re having their voice taken away, but rather make suggestions that will help them get to their next draft. Frankel has been writing for about four decades, beginning seriously in her teens.

Most recently, she has become the creator and host of Write On! Write Now: Literary Open Mic Night in Toronto. Through this platform, writers are able to express their artistry in a safe environment.

At every weekly open mic, typically 10 to 20 creatives gather at the Bampot House of Tea and Board Games, a cozy teahouse with a Bohemian-like atmosphere and shelves-upon-shelves of board games to enjoy. From a senior Canadian sci-fi writer with a decades-long publishing record to a 19-year-old reading poetry for the first time, Frankel has seen artists from all different backgrounds.

At around 10-years-old, their youngest speaker Joseph read an excerpt with his mother, Alisse Lee Goldenberg, from a book they had written together. Titled Lucky at Bat, their creation is set to come out in December of 2022, and follows the story of a boy named Jack and his two rescue rats — one of whom has a talent for baseball. Goldenberg is the mother of triplets and a writer living in Toronto.

“Apparently he had so much fun he wants to come back!” Frankel says, laughing.

Since she was around 20-years-old, Frankel has been hosting literary open mics in whichever city she found herself in. She wanted to provide an outlet for people to demonstrate their creativity.

“I try to be very encouraging and welcoming because I don’t want people to feel like they're going to be critiqued,” Frankel said.

She began hosting Write On! Write Now events in late-April, starting bi-weekly and moving to every Tuesday from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Jen Frankel also runs an online drop-in for writers, where once a week she is able to work on prompts and exercises, checking-in with fellow writers and interacting with them. (Courtesy of Jen Frankel)

Frankel says a lot of those who attend are university students who stumble across the open mics by accident. While some simply stay to listen, many have found the courage to go up and share their pieces.

Along with the skilled writers reading excerpts from their works, the Write On! Write Now stage has welcomed stand-up longform comedic monologues, scripts of screenwriters’ original soap operas and poems recited by artificial intelligence. Frankel fondly recounts intriguing poetry readings following the stream of consciousness of Lilith, a demonic figure of Mesopotamian mythology.

At the end of every performance, the room erupted in applause, the sense of support and community filling the air

The night I attended, I had the privilege of listening to a reading from The Face in the Marsh, a 2019 psychological thriller by Canadian author Elizabeth Hirst. As her pacing and tone set the scene, and as I held onto her every word, the twists and turns throughout the story had me constantly at the edge of my seat, awaiting and anticipating what was coming next.

The same night, I also listened to a first-time reader who had announced she was there to try public speaking and a man who had been presenting different chapters of his story every week. At the end of every performance, the room erupted in applause, the sense of support and community filling the air.

“It’s always transformative when you put work in another medium,” Frankel shared. “You learn a lot about your work as a writer if you speak it out loud – it can change entirely.”

She said that while you should write for yourself and not for others, knowing how different people will be impacted by your writing is valuable. Her open mics provide an opportunity to see how one’s stories can resonate with others.

Frankel believes young poets can benefit from hearing from more experienced writers — those who understand how to compose poetry by digging into the rhythm of their own words and the swings of their own phrases.

Through her open mics, she has fostered a built-in acceptance for the underrepresented voices and stories that don’t often get heard. She emphasizes the importance of showcasing and hearing from different perspectives; without representation, other writers and listeners may not feel acknowledged or welcomed.

“We’ve had some young poets who have come from Syria and the Middle East, and they have these lived experiences and are very active as human rights activists,” Frankel noted. “When they share them, you see those who were born in Canada become eye-opened, and you see the places where they recognize their own human experiences. I love seeing their responses.”

Frankel also understands that for many writers, platforms for getting their work out are not accessible to everyone. As someone with experience in the publishing industry, Frankel tries her best to promote websites and databases of publishers and agents to those who want to pursue a career in writing or get a story published. She always wants to make sure people feel their voices are strengthened and embraced.

“No one as a writer is in competition with anyone else. We all have our own ideas and our own voice,” Frankel said.  

Frankel also hosts a Hamilton Literary Open Mic for Keeping Six, an established harm-reduction organization that advocates for the rights of people who use drugs. There, writers with lived experience or knowledge of substance abuse, or who simply know someone who's been affected, are able to present their work. She hopes to start a second Write On! Write Now in Hamilton, the place she calls home.